When the Dusk Settles
by Naovan
Summary: In an ancient land Lord Braska rules over Hygna Dominion in peace until one day a volcano erupts. Blanketing the skies with ash an eternal night is brought to pass. While the crops are failing a scheming ruler of another realm sees his chance to invade. Years after the blight a young soldier wonders what has happened to peace and seeks a way to bring it to himself and others. TxY
1. It Begins

The dawn broke over the horizon revealing a small fortress against the side of the mountain. Inside figures began to stir. Braska, Lord of Hygna dominion again planned his thoughts for the day. Today, he would be speaking to his people of a plan that he had developed to end the poverty and suffering within his dominion. He hoped that as his people experienced success with this idea it could spread to the surrounding dominions. Then the whole realm would experience peace and prosperity.

In the distance Braska thought he saw fire coming out of a mountain. But that couldn't be possible, because of the size of the smoke. The column of smoke kept rising and Braska decided this was no mage's trick. Something was horribly wrong. Then he heard it, a boom, and a gush of wind, causing even the city's market to go quiet. People stopped in their tracks and waited. When nothing more seemed out of the ordinary they continued on their ways.

Braska gave his speech that evening. He spoke of neighborly kindness and charity and free education for all people. He believed that an educated people would do the smart thing, the right thing. This could happen if people were willing to give up personal comforts for group success. Braska did not think his plan held much sway in the merchant's eyes. But he was willing to sacrifice the luxury of nobility to give this to his people. He went to sleep that night thinking on the events of the day. What could that cloud of smoke mean? Would his plan be accepted by the people? Braska was eventually overcome by sleep and drifted off.

The next morning Braska awoke to find that the sun had not risen yet. _Odd, I'm never up this early_. He kissed his wife and rolled halfway out of bed. Sitting up and rubbing his eyes Braska noticed that the sun was coming up.

"What the..." Braska exclaimed as he noticed the darkness in the sky. There were ashes falling down from the heavens and sackcloth clothed the skies. He walked to his balcony, and noticed there was a small layer of ash on everything. His mind instantly turned to the crops. What had happened to them. He sent for a messenger.

"Find out what has happened, and if the crops are still okay!"

"Yes my Lord." The servant said before he scurried off.

Whatever had happened this was not good. Braska coughed and felt sick at breathing. He realized that the ash was not good to breathe. It was a poison to him. He informed his staff that they should immediately do all they could to keep out the ash, and when they had finished prepare themselves to go into the valley and warn the people.

His servants began putting up curtains in entryways to prevent ash from getting in. They worked with speed, but even so, ash was thick on the inside of the palace in some places. It would take weeks to sweep it out. After the palace was safe Braska moved to leave. His wife, Soneias, spoke out.

"You shouldn't go."

"I need to, these are my people, and they trust me."

"But what of the baby, he will come soon, and he should not be left fatherless."

"I'm not going to die."

"What about that servant earlier, he still isn't back."

Braska realized she was right. If he hadn't come back by now... well, Braska didn't think he would have run off.

"He could have sought shelter from the ash. I'm sure he's fine. I need to help the others."

"Can't you just send your men?"

"No, I need to show that we all can live together, I need to be willing to sacrifice just like everybody else."

"Well if you're so committed please take care. I don't want to lose you. This dominion needs your leadership. Especially in a time of crisis."

"We don't know if it is a crisis yet."

"Just look outside! It's only become darker."

Again Braska realized she was right. Soon there wouldn't be enough light to see. An unnatural darkness was settling over the entire scene. Braska could no longer see the Obos river in the valley that showed the boundary of his dominion.

"We'll be careful." he said in a reassuring tone.

Braska told his men to not breath the ash and work as fast as they could. _What'll we even do once we get down there?_ Braska had no idea how to help, only he was ready, and his men were too.

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AN: This is the other story I will be working on, it will be a little faster paced than Yuna's Story. I hope you enjoyed reading and I hope you comment on it. More on the way always!


	2. Victory Favors the Prepared

Lord Braska and his men hurried into the city. Once there he ordered half of his men to spread out and secure the people. He was not too worried for them because of the strong brick, stone, and wood houses that dominated the city. Instead he was worried for the outskirts of the city. The farms were beyond that, and beyond that were many of the roaming merchant and gypsy travelers. Seeing as they did not have a permanent dwelling location Lord Braska couldn't think of a way to help them. He needed to protect the crops because they were the livelihood of his people.

"To protect human life one must always be aware of how he treats lower life." Braska mused. He felt glad at thinking that most, if not all, of his teaching had been recorded meticulously in his private journal and by court scribes.

By the time Braska and his remaining men reached the outskirts the ash on the ground was nearly a foot deep. Braska was inwardly despairing that there would be no harvest this year but he was not beside himself. Every year since the Harvest of the Flood Braksa had decided it would be good to stockpile a portion of each harvest. Great silos had been built and when they were full it was predicted they could supply 10 years of food to his dominion. However, they were nowhere near full. Despite the good harvests perhaps one of every three was full. Hopefully this would be enough to hold his people over for the year. The court was full of intelligent people, but emergency situations always could develop, and that was something that couldn't be fully planned for.

Braska again told his men to spread out. This time he also added that they should be exceptionally careful of the shacks condition. If it seemed that they might break invite the family to the court. He didn't want people to die in accidents that could be easily prevented.

Braska knew a few of the villagers personally, but one he knew better than any. Jecht. Years ago Jecht had been his guardian when he was a fledgling Lord. Since then they became good friends and often spoke freely of Braska's ideas for peace and prosperity. Jecht was one of the few people that Braska trusted with all his life, and he held many of the works that Braska had written himself. He knew where his house was and traveled towards it. Because of the ash and the diminished light it took Braska much longer to find his residence. Once found he knocked and a woman answered the door.

"Is Jecht here?" Braska questioned only to be answered by her grabbing him quickly and pulling him inside.

"The ash." She explained, and said, "Wait here and I'll tell him Lord Braska has arrived."

"There'll be no need for such formality." Lord Braska said as she hurried off.

Moments later Jecht arrived.

"Braska!" Jecht exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around his friend in a warm embrace.

"It is good to see you are well. What was it like when the ash first fell?" Braska questioned with a nervous tint in his voice.

"I saw the fire from the mountain and knew not all was right. I went to warn Jacob and Caleb and the rest of the council. As I spoke with them it was apparent most of them had already spoken to each other. We knew we needed to prepare. We gathered all the fresh water we could and made sure our important items were close at hand and in known places. We warned each other of staying outside. When the ash first fell we hid in our houses, hopefully everyone did. I didn't think it would be so thick, but I was wrong. I hope that the barracks are still equipped, are they?"

"Yes, and I am so glad to know that you are ever prepared. You know, were it not for your idea of those silos I think we might all be in real trouble."

"Braska, you've said it yourself, 'Jecht, without you I'd never be able to accomplish my dreams. I've got all this knowledge and many good ideas, but I don't know how to implement them. I don't know how it comes to you so naturally, but I am quite grateful for you.' Braska, I'm grateful for you. Were it not for your ideas I would have served as your bodyguard and become a farmer like the rest of the people. Living in ignorance. I hope that you share this with everyone."

"I do too Jecht, I do too. But right now we have a crisis, and I think that we need to move everyone into safer dwelling."

"That's a very good idea Braska, don't tell me you wanted to invite them into the court... You did, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Well, me telling you otherwise won't ever change you, but seriously, all people need to grow, and they can't do that if you stifle them."

"I know, I just fear them growing in the wrong direction, that's all."

"At least you're concerned about them. But to the present, I'll tell Jacob and Caleb to alert the council that we need to bring everyone into the court, and barracks." Jecht added with a smile.

"It sounds good. I will alert my men to assist in any way possible."

"Well then, I plan on seeing you in the castle. The old place later tonight?"

"Tonight might be a little soon, but if not yes. Otherwise, how about sunrise tomorrow?"

"Yes, that sounds good. Farewell and stay safe old friend."

"You too Braska."

Braska reached for the door pushed. Far heavier than he realized was the weight of the ash behind the door. With a concentrated heave he pushed the door open and stepped out.

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AN: Wanted to put up another chapter because I felt good about writing today. Again, I hope you like it, and I hope you write a review!


	3. Fear Destroys the Foundation of Faith

As Braska stepped into the street he realized the ash was no longer falling like it had been, the skies were still darkened, but as he figured it was only about midday. Plenty of time before night, perhaps the skies would clear shortly. Satisfied that the worst of the damage had already been done, and after having talked to his old friend he was in a far more peaceful and calm mood.

His men didn't always need a leader, that much Braska was very grateful for. He remembered the adage of another friend of his:_ Do many good things of your own free will and choice. You don't need to be told twice._

Braska felt confident in the ability of his men to organize the people and assist them so he began walking back to the castle. His wife would no doubt have some worry, but there would be no problems today.

He walked in silence, doing the numbers in his head, trying to think of any possibility for a second disaster. Protecting the silos and rationing the food were the two things that first came to mind. Having disbanded the military force of Hygna dominion only a few years into his reign he had always functioned without them. Now it seemed important to at least have some of the city guards ration food and protect the silos. Even the city guards weren't incredibly excellent fighters. No, they were far more officers of peace. Negotiating disputes were typically what they did. Braska didn't expect people to attack the silos, but he knew fear of starvation, even if there was plenty of food, could drive people to do crazy things.

Oh, and then there were the nomads, merchants, gypsies. What would they do? Would he have to supply them as well? Well, if there were no more than a few hundred there would be no problem.

And what of the other dominions? Would they be in good shape like he was? Braska hadn't spent many years preparing, only a few in fact. But the problem now was other rulers might order invasions of other dominions to supply their own. Raiding, pillaging, scavenging. This would not do.

As Braska began to realize he might have need for an army he arrived at the castle. He immediately went to his private library and looked over the records. Treasury records, population records, storage records, silo records, profession records. It all made his head spin. He was trying to do far more than he could. This was a problem that clearly he needed outside help for. He considered what he could do. Convening the court seemed to be the only logical response. As the hours passed Braska lit a lamp and spread the light around the room.

Some time after that while still deep in thought there was a knock at the door. Braska only barely heard it. His wife, Soneias, entered.

"Oh Braska, there you are, I was worried about where you were! I spoke to a few of your men but none of them had seen you, and now that it is truly night, I... well... got worried. I saw Jecht and he said that you'd be in here, and sure enough, you are."

"Soneias, forgive me, I hadn't realized that I let this problem consume me."

"What problem?"

"I was thinking about the silos, rationing them out, protecting them. Which led me to think of other rulers not being prepared, they might invade for want of food."

"Oh dearest, that really could happen." Soneias said with fear in her voice. "What are you going to do?"

"I am unsure of what to do, I really need outside help this time."

"You always do anyways."

"No, this time I really need it. Normally I am so hopeful, but now, things seem dark, and not just because of the ash." He said trying to lighten the tone.

"Indeed." Soneias said as she looked outside. "It is too dark to see even the moonlight."

"Yes, hopefully by morn it will be normal again."

"Hopefully. But for now come join me." She said without seduction. "The baby, well he needs his father to rest with him too."

"But... well this can wait. I told Jecht we would speak in the morning."

Braska rose from his chair and made his way to the bedroom. After changing into his sleepwear he entered the bed and let his mind clear of thoughts. After meditating for a minute he felt ready to rest. Lying close to his wife he finally drifted off.


End file.
